The Leafs practiced in Tampa Monday, preparing for their game Tuesday against the Lightning. The overwhelming consensus in Leafs Nation is that the game is elementary.

Maple Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly, seen in a game against the Winnipeg Jets April 5, 2014, could be key to helping the Leafs win their final three games of the season, though playoffs remain a distant hope for Toronto.

The overwhelming consensus in Leafs Nation is that Tuesday night’s game against the Lightning in Tampa is meaningless. The Columbus Blue Jackets, the only team they can catch for a playoff spot, need just three points in their final four games to eliminate Toronto. But as long as there is a flicker of hope, here are five things the Leafs could to do to help:

Keep the kids together

Coach Randy Carlyle has paired his young guns — Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner — on defence regularly. It’s a solid move. Both are excellent skaters and can single-handedly move the puck out of the Leafs zone, which has been horribly mistake-prone of late. Gardiner is also on the first power-play unit, replacing Cody Franson. Keeping the young D-men in prime roles improves their chances of winning.

James Reimer still has trouble in two main areas: tracking the puck and lateral movement across his crease in traffic. He should get out at the top of his crease on shots from point or the side. He’s getting beaten on shots he might stop if his positioning was slightly improved, a matter of inches.

Drop the 11-7 format

Carlyle has been going with 11 forwards and seven defencemen and it’s obviously not working. Yes, it puts Paul Ranger on the blue line more, helping box out and punish opposing forwards, but the team needs a more stable lineup up front. The 11-7 mix doesn’t offer the chance to roll four lines. Do it now and bring some stability.

Bring up David Broll

Broll is having a solid season with the Marlies under the radar. He’s a fixture on coach Steve Spott’s top line with Josh Leivo and captain Trevor Smith. He is big, a crasher and a forechecker and the Leafs could use that. The Marlies are headed for the playoffs, and Broll is a big reason why.

Work harder

The Leafs maintain work ethic isn’t the problem. Try again. Winnipeg outworked them Saturday. Teams know exactly what to do with the Leafs: make them play defence, which inevitably leads to mistakes. The players need to look in the mirror and deliver maximum effort in the final three games.

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